So tired

Thus begins week 3 of being up at 6:30 to take the kids to school. It's a blessing. Really. It. Is. I've been able to run. I've been able to do Wii Fit on the days I don't run. I get started on work earlier most days. And best of all? It means Clayton is still working 7-4. Loving that.

I'm doing a 21-Day weight loss challenge with some people on Facebook. Today is day 15. So far I've lost 1.8 pounds. I was hoping for more, but my weekend eating has been horrid. (It's tasted SO, SO yummy though). Would love to lose 3.7 pounds in the next week to meet my 30 pounds total weight loss goal. I'm going to do it; I just don't know if it will be by Monday.

Running...I've been hitting a wall around 10 minutes. Today, I forced myself just to keep going. And, I did. I didn't look at my watch until after I heard it beep noting a mile. I just pushed myself a couple minutes at a time until I hit 30 minutes. Covered 2.62 miles in that 30 minutes and with the 5 minutes of walking to cool down, I covered 2.87. If I would have run that last 5 minutes, I feel sure I would have hit 5K. Maybe Wednesday.

Long, crazy week

Clayton started work this week! Woohoo! He's working Monday through Friday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. That's awesome since we'll have weekends now. It's been long for me since I've been having to get up at 6:30 to get the kids to school. It's been beneficial, though, because I've run 3 days this week and have done Wii Fit the other 2 days. I've lost 2 pounds since Monday. Probably just put it back on with the pizza I had for supper, though. Work a couple days has been nuts: 84 minutes one day and 56 the day that was supposed to be my "easy" day. I'm hoping that means that I'll have an easy day one day next week or even a full day off.

Dare I post it?

Clayton reports to work Monday morning! We're so excited! It's been an ordeal to get to this point. Thursday, he was been told to report Monday morning. Then, he got a phone call saying he couldn't report because they hadn't talked to his former supervisors yet. Evidently that's a requirement before they can offer employment. A couple hours later, we get an email saying he can report. Fast forward to Friday. Another phone call from the agency saying that his work history report is not lining up with what he said it was. They said he was only a deputy since this past May. Um, no, unless the last 9 years were a figment of our imaginations. So, we were getting ready to go sign some papers for his school and the phone rang again. The agency wanted to know if we had anything that would prove that he worked there before 2011. So, we ran in and searched for paperwork. We came up with a W-2 from 2003, his certificate from when he graduated from the Criminal Justice Academy, and a couple other things. We went and signed the papers and then headed downtown with our information. The nice lady made copies and we headed out. (To eat...it was date night!) Just as we got the truck parked, the phone rang again. Fortunately, it was the agency saying that the company doing the work history figured out what they did wrong and actually found that he did start in 2002 like he said. Woohoo! So, still on for Monday at 8:30. You can't make this stuff up.

When they talked to one of his supervisors, they asked if he would hire him again. His answer was that if he could, he'd get him to work that night. The response: "He belongs to us now." Yes! That's what we want to hear. Supposedly all this background stuff will not have to be done again when the company hires him permanently.

Thou, Oh Lord

Thou, Oh Lord
Many are they increased that troubled me
Many are they that rise up against me
Many there be which say of my soul
There is no helpe for him in God

But thou, oh Lord are a shield for me
My glory and the lifter of my head
Thou, oh Lord are shield for me
My glory and the lifter of my head

Repeat

I cried unto the Lord with my voice
And he heard me out of His holy hill
I laid me down and slept and awaked
For the Lord sustained, for he sustained me


Thou, oh Lord are a shield for me
My glory and the lifter of my head
Thou, oh Lord are shield for me
My glory and the lifter of my head

Repeat Twice

Thou, Oh Lord - Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

It's in my head and I'm posting it. I had a "down" moment this afternoon, not the first in the last 10 weeks, but one that was different from any other one. God gave me a few words in this song and it just lifted my spirit! You must listen to it!

Cautiously excited

Clayton got log-on info for the new job today. No idea what day he's supposed to go in, but hopefully this week! One step closer.

I ran again today. I'm still aiming for a full 25 minutes of running, but am not succeeding every time yet. I did cover 2.67 miles this morning in 35 minutes of walking/running. At least I'm pretty consistent each time I go out.

My new favorite TV show is The Sing-Off. Even though I have missed it 2 weeks in a row. I'm glad I can watch it online and catch up. Doing that now...

I just noticed that I like to start posts with "so." So, I'll try not to. (See, didn't START it with "so" this time...) I've had my toes stepped on today. A lot. Anything from the type of leader I am (me? a leader? you must be mistaken) to how I am loving God (obedience. need i say more?). Something Whitney said this morning struck a chord within my soul. I don't know that I can repeat it word for word, but the gist of it is that if I'm not spending time reading the Bible and studying the Bible then I am putting those things ahead of God. That those things are more important than time with him. Idols. All of it. She also said that she prays each night that she would be woken up early in the mornings to spend time with God and that she would be focused on that and that she would have the DESIRE to be in the Word when she gets up. BIG, HUGE wake-up call to me (haha). I NEED to be in the Word. I need to have a DESIRE to be in the Word. (Wow, I'm having deja vu here - I think I've written this somewhere before...maybe here, maybe not; can't remember). The first step to loving God (obedience) is being in His Word. Daily. Not when I want to be (which, if I'm honest wouldn't be all that often) and not just when I need to be (tough times). Daily.

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing, and perfect will." - Romans 12:1-2.

I cannot be transformed by the renewing of my mind if I continue to do things the same way I have always done them, i.e., reading the Bible only when I feel like it or when the situation looks dire. God's word is living and active and applicable to my daily life. Just through the last 10 weeks, I have been shown scripture and have been given scripture that is applicable to my and Clayton's situation. One is Isaiah 55:8-9.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

I wish I had written down the date that God lead me to this passage. I could tell you what was going on in our lives that day. I know without a doubt that it was within the last 10 weeks and that God lead me to it in light of our situation.

Yeah, so toes stepped on today and I have a new prayer (desire) in my heart tonight to help jumpstart my day tomorrow.

Still waiting

So, Clayton got a job through a staffing agency. He's filled out the paperwork, done the drug testing, and we're waiting. We know what company he's going to, but we still have to wait. On what? Background check. It should be back Monday (we hope) so he can start working Tuesday. School for him this 5 weeks is an online class, so that's good. He's seriously considering switching to night classes and working during the day. Sounds great to me. I would have to do everything in the evenings, but we'll work through whatever we have to do until he's done with school.

I've run twice since Monday. Neither run was pretty, but I got out there. Thursday, I tried to do the C25K W7D2 and just couldn't get through the 25 minutes of running. I ended up with 2.39 miles. Not bad, but not great either. I got out there today and didn't follow the C25K plan. My plan was to run until I couldn't anymore and then walk and then run until I couldn't anymore again and so on until I had been out there for 35 minutes. That's what I did and covered 2.82 miles. Go figure.

Weight loss to date: 27.6 pounds.